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Journeying with the Frog by Blake Octavian Blair

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The two best methods [to work with frog] I recommend are shamanic journeying via sonic driving and meditation. Sonic driving is hte use of repetitive rhythmic sound to enter an altered state such as in the shamanic drum journey. Instructional resources on the shamanic drum journey are widely available.

When framing your question for the spirits and your goal prior to embarking on the journey, center it around finding a frog spirit and asking it how it can help you and how you should work with it. Entering a meditative state via your favorite form of meditation is another accessible method for encountering the spirit of the frog, inquiring siliarly, as mentioned, how and when to work with frog as an ally. Be sure to journal your findings and move forth accordingly if you wish to build a relationship with the frog as a helping spirit.

The frog is a powerhouse of magic: revered, misunderstood, a psychopomp of departed souls, and a symbol of rebirth and fertile abundance. I hope this little tour through frog lore has given you a leg up on this creature’s mystical nature so that you can get a jump-start on leaping in to working with these creatures!

Rosewater Lemonade

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Nothing says summer like pink lemonade. This recipe adds a few extra ingredients to make it more magical. Strawberries add sweetness and color. Rose petals and rosewater evoke love and luxury. Lemons refresh adn uplift the mood, standing for the yellow sun at the height of its power. 

Prep time:  5 minutes for ice cubes, plus 10 minutes for lemonade
Inactive:  5 hours for ice cubes
Servings:  4
  • Fresh rose petals
  • Water
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 lemons
  • 1/2 cups strawberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp dried rose petals
  • 1-2 tsp rosewater
  • 1/2 cup ice

Ice Cubes

Into an ice cube tray, pour enough water to cover hte bottom of each cubicle. Place in the freezer until the surface frosts over, about half an hour.

Wet the fresh rose petals, then place one rose petal into each cubicle, pressing down to contact the ice. Return the tray to teh reezer for half an hour.

Fill the cubicles to the brim with water. Return the tray to teh freezer until frozen solid, about 5 hours.

Lemonade

Put 4 cups of water into a high-speed blender.

Peel the lemons. Remove any seeds. Put the sections in the blender.

Rinse the strawberries and cut off the tops. Add the strawberries to the blender.

Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp dried rose petals. Add 1 tsp rosewater, then taste. You should get just a hint of rose flavor; too much and it tastes soapy. Add another tsp if needed.

Put in 1/2 cup regular ice. Use the “smoothie” setting, or process until liquefied. If you want pulp-free lemonade, strain it before pouring into glasses. Serve over rose petal ice cubes.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a year or tuck into the freezer. If you’re a home canner, process in a water bath canner for longer storage.

To serve, add two or three Tbsp of shrub to a glass of chopped ice and water. There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day!

Heirloom Tomato Toss

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Tomatoes are the epitome of summer. They reach their peak in the long hours of the sun. Thse sweet, juicy vegetables are best enjoyed fresh right now. Unlike modern hybrids, “heirloom” or “antique” cultivars are open-pollinated and selected for intense flavor rather than shipping convenience. They come in many fascinating sizes, shapes, and colors. Red, orange, yellow, and pink symbolize the sun but there are also green, purple, brown, white, and almost black ones! 

Prep time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  6 (1 cup) or 12 (1/2 cup)
  • 4 lbs of heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of Italian sweet basil
  • 6 Tbsp full-flavor evoo
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp sweet marjoram
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp sage
  • 1/2 tsp cracked green pepper
  • 1/2 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt

Rinse and pat dry 4 lbs of heirloom tomatoes. Remove the stems and cores. Grape tomatoes and small cherry tomatoes shoul dbe cut in half. Larger cherry tomatoes may need to be cut in quarters. Beefsteaks and other full-size tomatoes should be diced. First slice them, then cut the slices into strips, then cut the strips into cubes. Just roughly chopping them won’t make a tidy salad. If some of the tomatoes have large amounts of slime inside, remove it and use the firm parts. Put the tomato bits into a big salad bowl.

Rinse and pat dry 1 bunch of Italian sweet basil. Remove the stems and large veins by tearing the leaf sides away from the middle. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces; you should have about a cup. Put the torn basil in a bowl.

Make the dressing in a clean jar with a lid. First, pour in 6 Tbsp full-flavor evoo. (If you have olive oil infused with any of the herbs in this recipe, you can use that.) Add 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Add them to the jar of dressing. Add 1 Tbsp sweet marjoram, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp sage, adn 1/2 tsp cracked green pepper.

Put the lid on the jar snugly. Shake briefly to cobine all the ingredients. This is not an emulsified vinaigrette, so you’re not trying to make a smooth blend, just distribute the ingredients equally.

Add the basil leaves to the tomato bits in the salad bowl and toss to combine. Shake hte dressing one last time and pour it slowly over the salad, tossing as you go. Finally, sprinkle 1/2 tsp fleur de sel over the salad.

Serve immediately. This recipe makes about 6 (1-cup) servings as a bowl or salad or (12 1/2-cup) servings as a side dish.

Note: In addition to standing on its own as a sald, the Heirloom Tomato Toss also makes an excellent topping for sandwiches, baked potatoes, tacos, chili, and so on. Use it for extra flavor anywhere that you would use diced tomatoes. If you like a leafier salad, put a scoop of this on top of Romaine lettuce of baby spinach.

Stuffed Strawberries

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Strawberries are a quintessential June treat, representing love and fertility. Fresh mint nicely mimics the leafy green top of a strawberry, creating an edible garnish. 

Prep time:  30 minutes
Inactive:  30 minutes or more 
Servings: about 12
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 Tbsp)
  • 1 (8 oz) package full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 handful fresh mint

Set out the cream cheese to soften at room temperature.

Rinse and pat dry the strawberries. Pull off the leaves and use a paring knife to remove the stems, opening the core of the strawberries.

Zest a lemon. Cut it in half and juice one half. Save the zest and juice in a small bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 package softened full-fat cream cheese, 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Mix in the lemon zest and juice. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Put the cream cheese filling into a plastic baggie and snip off one corner. Squeeze the fillig into each strawberry.

Remove the mint leaves from the stems, discarding any damaged leaves. Poke a mint leaf into the top of each strawberry. Arrange the strawberries on a platter and chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving.

Summer Solstice Astrological Activities

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Depending where you live and what your communitity lis like, there are many ways to honor the solstice. Beginning in the morning, travel or face east to seethe sun rise. Invoke the direction of the east and all its creatures and plants, and any other associations you have with the east. Recognize solar animals, like Eagle, Hawk, Swan, and Horse. You may also visualize creatures of the water, such as Seal, and any other animal life special and unique to you.

Sun salutiations are a physical way to open to the Sun, feel your strength, and increase your life force. Remember to breathe well as you move, first raising arms and open hands to the sky as you breathe in, and folding forward agently toward the earth with head and hands as you exhale. Salutations can bea s simle as this, repeating the upward and downward flow, or other postures like planks, backbends, and downward dogs can be added fora yoga-style Sun A salute. Greet the season and yourself with gratitude and joy.

Use fire and smoke as a way of cleansing and releasing during this waning Moon. At sunrise or sunset, light a bunde of sage or mugwort and burn until there are glowing embers. Gently blow on the flame to diminish it, then sage around your body, shaking the bundle safely around your or someone else. (Be very careful around hair and clothing. You needn’t get too close to skin or hair to receive the clearing.) Working with mugwort is said to stimulate dreams.

Meditate on your tarot cards during solstice. Ace and Page of Wands align with both the fire energy of peak Suna nd with this year’s Moon in Aries, the first fire sign. The Chariot, long associated with the Sun’s journey into Cancer, and the Sun card, representing youth, are also cards of Litha. On your altar or windowsill, set up your solstice spell to invite the energy and vitality of this season. Crystals such as citrine, yellow calcite, or perhaps some rose quartz for the heart enhance your spell. Understand your own intentions at Midsummer and clarify any release you are approaching as you cross the threshold.

Mugwort Tisane

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If using the fresh herb, cut the leaves and stems early in the day and rise in tepid water to remove any soil or insects. Allow the herb to dry on a kitchen towel until you are ready to use it. Stuff the plant material into a glass jar or teapot, but don’t pack it too tightly. Pour boiling water into the pot and leave it to steep for at least an hour, allowing it to cool in the process. It can be used to lightly mist the pillow and top edge of the quilt. There isn’t a strong scent when brewed this way, so you may choose to add a drop of lavender oil to your tisane.

Guided Meditation (To Connect to the Land)

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If you are able, go outside to someplace where you can see the contours of the land. It might be on a hill or where you can see a road cutaway showing hte layers of stone. It might be in the middle of a wide field or plain stretching as far as the eye can see. Even if you are staying in your own home, try to find a good picture that represents your alnd and perhaps a handful of the soil found nearby.

Make yourself as comfortable as you can, inphysical contact with the ground if possible. Slow your breathing and close your eyes. Then imagine that your awareness is sinking into the ground like a taproot, down through your skin and into soil. Explore that soil for a moment, countless tiny particles ina thin layer across the land, shot through the plant roots and fungal hyphae and the tunnels of tiny creatures and so many bacteria and other microscopic beings that hte soil is alive! Consider how in millions of years this very soil that you tcouhc ay someday become shale or sandstone or some other sedimentary rock.

Now explore deeper, below the soil. Remember what you learned about what’s beneath your home; allow yourself time to “dig” down through the layers of geological history, millions of years measured in inches and feet. Think about how the stone first came to be, whether as magma, ash or cinders, a volcano; sediment washed up by watery currents; or older stone pressed into new forms by heat and tectonic forces. Think about what beings may have first walked upon the stone when it was young and open to the sky, and how their memories may still be recorded there in spirit, if not in form.

Remember the water that has sluiced across teh layers of land here time and time again. think of the rain falling down on ancient mud flats and sandy beaches, sizzling on fresh magma, cutting channles shtrough beds of volcanic ash. Imagine how ponds and lakes have formed in depressions, deepened, then filled in again to become meadows and forests that press the old silt beds down into the earth.

And when you are ready, come back to yourself, but bring back a thin core of these layers with you. Embed them into yourself so that whenever you call upon the elements, you know their presence in the history of the land. When you go outside, know that you are poised on the newest page of a book of ancient history, contributing your tiny part to the grandest story the land has ever told.

Charge the Air with Intention

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One of the most practical and magical applications that I’ve enjoyed lately is to infuse the air with my intentions. This is a great way to promote a certain emotion or feeling at a location. It creates a purposeful atmosphere that’s best suited for your needs.

Before beginning, you may wish to cleanse the space by bell, besom, or incense. A good cleansing will neutralize any negative energy in the space, but the end result is netural energy, bot positie energy. It’s sort of like washing a dish – you remove the food particles and germs frm it, but at the ened of your cleansing, it’s just an empty dish. It’s certainly not filled with pie or stroganoff or some other delectable food.

There’s nothing wrong with neutral energy, but in an environment, it can create an energy gradient that could bring some high-energy people down. It also could make energy raising more labor-intensive and tiring, which is not ideal in a magical setting.

Charging the air with intentions ensures that youwont’ be starting from scratch. It magnifies your magical and mundane workings by lifting them up before you’rve even begun. It can also change any lingering energy patterns in that area. Depending on how successful your magic is, it might even reduce your need to cleanse hte space as often.

The first step to charging the air with your intenitons is to choose a location. Once you’re there, evaluate what happens there and what you wish would happen there. With that in mind, create an intention that states what you want the space to do: “This living room is a place of relaxation, love, and happiness.” “My home office helps me focus so I can create my best work.” “This park is a clean and safe space. Anyone who comes here will respect thel and or feel the urge to leave immediately.” “My ritual space is a protected and sacred area that facilitates powerful magic.”

Be specific, and use language that is positive and present tense. Write your intention down so you can refer to it during this practice and whenever you wish to use it again in the future.

When you’re ready to charge the air with your intention, stand in the center of the space with your feet about hip-width apart. Feel the energy of the air. Start to breathe more consciously, and then connect with the magical element of air.

Once you feel the magical element of air within you draw a deep breath and speak your intention out loud. If that’s not possible, speak it in your mind. Your words will be imbued with the magical element of air. Envision your magical words traveling through the place as a specific color and vibration or feeling. See your intention touching and coloring the items in your immediate area. Hold this image in your mind for about ten seconds before releasing it. Breathe regularly for a few rounds.

When you’re ready to do this again, breathe strongly again to take in the magical element of air within you. Allow it to build for a few breaths. When you feel up for it, take an even deeper breathe strongly again to take in the magical element of air within you. Allow it to build for a few breaths. When you feel up for it, take an even deeper breath than the last time. Let the magical element of air fill your lungs. Recite your intention a second time, louder than before. Envision your intention as an even more vibrant color and vibration that connects with all the molecules in the air around you. See this energy interact with the first intention – see it build upon the energy there and strengthen it. For about twenty seconds, imagine that your intention fills the area. Release the image and breathe naturally for a moment.

When you’re ready for the last push, inhale the magical element of air again. Let it grow within you, then take your deepest breath yet, inhaling as much of themagical element of air into your lungs as possible. Recite your intention with your loudest voice. Envision the energy of your words saturating the place entirely, building upon the other layers of intention in the room with the most intense color and vibration. Hold this in your mind for about thirty seconds, and then release it.

To tether the intention to the room, imagine there’s a thread in the energy that you could pluck that connects to the center of the energy, sort of like a cloud ona string. Grasp the invisible thread and tie it to soething that won’t be cleansed soon, such as a light fixture or a tree branch. Do this again a few times aroudn the space. These threads will help anchor the energy there. Close your eyes and envirion the threads holding hte intention for a minute. When you’re satified with your magic, thank the lement of air for its assistance.

Your charged intention can last for anytime from a couple of hours to several months. It depends on the strenght of your intention, the strength of your energy, and how much traffic it sees. Recharge the intention every once in a while, especially if it dissipates quickly.

If anyone else uses the space, be aware of whether they would consent to you altering the energy or not. It’s likely that your coven wouldn’t mind if you created a spiritual intention in your group ritual room. When consent gets blurry, though, be aware of your ethics and repercussions fro your actions.

Simple Consecration Ritual for Your Pentacle

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You don’t need a full temple space. A corner of your bedorom will do. A convenient tabletop, desktop, dresser top, or mantle top can be covered with a white or black cloth and used as a temporary altar. It’s best if the altar top faces east but not absolutely necessary. candles and incense will help set a solemn mood and focus your intention. Have a white linen or silk bag nearby for wrapping your pentacle. Place your pentacle on the cente of your altar top.

Begin with slow rhythmic breathing to relax the mind and body. When ready, perform the Qabalistic Cross by touching (1) the top of your head, (2) center of your chest (3) right shoulder and (4) left shoulder whle intoning “Atah” (head), “Malkuth” (chest) “VeGeburath” (right shoulder), “Ve-Gedulah” (left shoulder). Clasp your hands together and intol “Le-Olahm, amen.” The meaning of this is “Thou art the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever, unto the ages.” Imagine a vibrant cross of brillaint divine light in the center of your body, connected by the points your have activated.

Place your hands directly over your pentacel, thumb touching thumb and index finger touching index finger so that your hands form a triangle over the pentacle. Then say,

The heaven is above and the earth is beneath. And between the light and the darkness, the energies vibrate. I call upon the Sacred Source of All that exists, by the majesty of hte divine names and words of power YOD HEH VAV HEH, ADONAI EHEIEH, and AGLA, to bestow this present day and hour, and confirm their mystic and potent influence upon the energies linked to the sigils on this Pentacle of teh Universal Forces, which I hereby dedicate to purity and occult work, andm ay its grasp strengthen me in the work of the magic of light!

Imagine a halo of light surrounding your pentacle, charging it with divine power and light. Take as much time as you need before thanking the Sacred Source of All and any other personal deities or angels who may have aided your ritual. Finally, wrap yoru consecreated pentacle in the white linen or bag. Take some time to contemplate the ritual you ahve completed before extinguishing any candles and ending the rite.

Your pentacle can now be used whenever you wish to work with any of the energies whose symbols re inscribed on it. When calling upon a specific energy, grasp the pentacle so that your thumn, the digit assigned to the element of spirit, touches the symbol of the force you wish to work with.

You can also use the pentacle as a magical basis for charging other talsimans, placing objects on it for consecration or blessing.

Other Hair Magick

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Hair magick can be performed without removing a single piece form your head. There are lots of ways to add some enchantment to your hair care routine, to attract the energies you desire, and to repel those you don’t.

Essential Oils: You can add a few drops of essential oil to your shampoo or conditioner. Remember to only add a small amount so that it doesn’t compromise the product. Try mint for prosperity, rosemary for protection, or chamomile for peace.

Braids: If you have long hair, you can use knot magick to attract your desires. While braiding your hair, visualize what you would like to bring into your life. When you tie the elastic in place, state, “It is done.” Repeat this every time you braid your hait until the thing you seek comes to you.

Cleansing: Every New Moon, pull the hair out of your hairbrush and safely burn it while letting go of everything you no longer need. This will clear out all the stagnant energy from the last Moon cycle, clearing th way for growth and new beginnings.

Crystals: Quartz crystal amplifies your personal power and boosts spiritual awareness. Place a quartz crystal in your bottle of shampoo or other hair product. The energy from the quartz crystal will linger every time you wash your hair. You can do this with other crystals as well according to what you want to attract. Just make sure the crytals you choose won’t be ruined by being immersed in liquid.